Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was in the 1980s when the first initiative was brought forward to ban smoky coal in Dublin because air quality had deteriorated. There were not as many cars then and the improvements in air quality have been eaten into by increased car use. One of the inter-sectoral actions in the climate action plan involves the increased use of electric and hybrid vehicles which will help to immediately reduce emissions, something that will happen if buses were run on electricity or biofuels. I agree with the Deputy.

If local authorities are informed and forewarned of the possibility it would be up to the local authorities as well and not just central government. It is the role of the Government and the EPA as an agency to notify them and put them on notice. If it is the case that it is likely that they will breach then they should have monitoring in place, particularly along the busy route the Deputy mentioned, which also stretches into north Wicklow at the M11 and M50 interchange.

It is something we need to be aware of and cognisant of. Various initiatives that will help drive down the amount of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere will help in the long term. It is never too early to start and we should have an immediate joined-up collaborative approach.

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